CHAPTER TWENTY #2
Okay, maybe after hockey and a blowjob with Crawford, he’d go out for dinner. Find a fun new restaurant and have a sit-down meal. Maybe he’d find a gay bar after and see about meeting people too.
After Sebastian ate his hasty but delicious lunch, he hurried through brushing his teeth and changing into fresh clothes. He bundled up, then headed out the door.
“I’m going out!” he called to his employees. “Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone!”
Raul popped his head out from the back room. “You can take care of the fun part for us!”
“I’m going to do my best,” Sebastian promised with a laugh.
The wind hit him like an icy slap to the face as he pushed open the back door. It was already bitter cold today and windy, with the temperature dropping, so he took his rarely used car rather than deal with public transit.
When he arrived at Crawford’s home, he parked and stared out the window at it. What was he even doing here? He’d thought Crawford had hated the idea of him being in his space. So what had changed?
But Crawford had invited him over and he was here already. He’d go, watch hockey with him, and if it got too awkward, he’d duck out early. He had nothing to lose.
But for a moment, he simply looked at the house, wondering if it would give him any clues about who Luke Crawford really was.
Like most single-family homes this close to the heart of Boston, his was on a long, narrow lot.
It looked old—maybe 1920s or so—and had been nicely remodeled.
As Sebastian got out of the car and started up the walk, he wondered if Crawford had done the exterior work himself.
The house had a grayish blue siding with cream and warm brown trim accents.
There was even a little free library out front.
He really doubted Crawford had installed that. He didn’t seem like a reader.
A gust of wind snaked down the back of Sebastian’s parka, and he shivered as he walked hurriedly to the door, rapping his knuckles against the wooden surface.
Crawford opened it, wearing a pair of low-slung basketball shorts and a snug muscle shirt.
“Holy shit. Aren’t you freezing?” Sebastian asked as Luke stepped back so he could come inside. “It’s like fifteen degrees out. And dropping.”
“Nope.” Crawford closed the door behind him. “I’m comfy.”
The entryway was really part of the living room, with stairs going up that ran along one wall to the left. There was a mat for shoes, so Sebastian kicked his off and placed them on it, realizing Crawford’s feet were bare.
Sebastian had noticed before that his body ran hot but Jesus. The man was actually insane.
“Well, c’mon in,” Crawford said.
Sebastian hung up his coat on a peg by the door and glanced around.
There was a double-sided glass fireplace dividing the living and dining rooms. Wooden built-ins ran along the walls, the TV mounted on one of them, and two big leather couches were arranged in an L-shape around a square wooden coffee table.
“Are these the original hardwood floors?” Sebastian asked.
Crawford, who had been standing there staring at the TV where they were doing a pre-game analysis of the team, glanced over. “Huh? Yeah. I refinished them.”
“You did the work yourself?”
“Yeah. Hired out the exterior shit, plus the electrical and some of the big plumbing jobs because I didn’t want to accidentally burn the place down or flood it or whatever, but I pretty much did the rest of the inside.”
“Off-season projects?”
Crawford nodded toward the couch facing the TV. “C’mon, have a seat.”
Sebastian sat.
“You want something to drink? I’ve got water, beer … uhh, that’s about it, to be honest. Except milk. I’ve got that too.”
“Uhh,” Sebastian said. “A beer would be nice.”
Crawford disappeared into the back of the house, then returned carrying a beer and a bowl of popcorn. He handed off the beer, then took a seat at the other end of the couch. “Want some popcorn?” he asked, holding out the bowl. “Oh, it’s pickle popcorn, just so you know.”
Sebastian made a face and cracked open his beer. “No thank you. That sounds disgusting.”
“You don’t like pickles?” Crawford gave him a look like he wasn’t sure what the fuck was wrong with him.
“I like them fine alongside a sandwich,” Sebastian protested. “Just not as a flavoring on everything. There was a place near where I lived in New York that had dill pickle pizza and the thought made me want to hurl.”
“You probably wouldn’t be a fan of my pre-game peanut butter and pickle sandwiches then.”
Sebastian’s stomach actually lurched at the thought. “Nope. Sounds disgusting.”
“You’ve tasted worse.”
Sebastian opened his mouth to argue, then realized what Crawford was referring to and sighed. What an asshole.
“Thanks for the beer,” he said after he’d taken a sip. “This is good.”
“Sure.” Crawford turned up the volume on the TV a little and they watched the pre-game show in silence for a few minutes.
This was weird, Sebastian decided.
Crawford had acted pissed when he’d been here the last time, then totally ignored Sebastian’s texts after. Sebastian might be able to chalk that up to him being in pain, but he’d glared the second he saw Sebastian at the children’s hospital. So what had happened between then and now?
“So, you were bored and decided to invite me over, huh?” Sebastian asked, figuring he might as well just go for it and see if he got a straight answer. “I thought you hated the idea of me being here.”
Crawford glanced over. “I didn’t hate you being here. I just don’t invite a lot of people over to my house.”
“Why?”
“I dunno. They’re usually loud and stress me out. My home’s just the way I like it. I don’t like a bunch of people making it feel like it’s not mine.”
“Huh,” Sebastian said.
But somehow, the guy who relentlessly chirped him at games was fine, apparently. Where was the logic there?
“Besides,” Crawford added. “They don’t suck my dick.”
Sebastian laughed. “There’s that.”
“Could be the weed too. I made some brownies earlier. The fun kind.”
Sebastian gaped at him. “Seriously?”
He grinned. “Yeah? You want one?”
“Uhh, sure,” Sebastian said, both confused and surprised by the offer. He set down the beer. He’d only finished maybe a third of it. “Well, if I can leave my car here. I would have taken a rideshare if I’d known …”
“They’re not super strong,” Crawford said, rising to his feet. “But yeah, you should be good to leave it parked on the street overnight if you’re that worried. We’re not supposed to get any snow.”
“What you can handle and what I can handle might be different,” Sebastian pointed out, gesturing to the differences in their body type.
“Maybe. Although I usually only do this during the off-season. So, it’s been a while. I really didn’t make it that strong but it does depend on how often you partake.”
“Huh,” Sebastian said as Crawford disappeared through the door into the kitchen.
He returned a moment later with a brownie on a plate. He handed it over, along with a folded piece of paper towel.
“They’re good,” Sebastian said, after he’d taken a bite. “You are just full of surprises today.”
Crawford just grunted and turned his attention to the TV again.
Sebastian finished the brownie, wiped his fingers, then settled back to watch.
He’d seen some of the tournament games so far, although some were shown too early in the day for him to catch, because the league was trying to draw in the European markets.
Since the Nordic team and Central European team were playing in the semi-finals today, along with Canada and the US, that made sense.
They watched in silence for a long while and Sebastian stretched when the weed began to take effect. It was a nice mellow feeling and he smiled to himself, pleased he’d actually been able to unwind.
He didn’t know if his employees and his sister would approve of the way he was spending the day off, but so far, he had no complaints. Nah, actually, he suspected they would all be happy he was relaxing, no matter how it had been accomplished.
Sebastian pulled his phone out of his pocket and set it on the coffee table, just in case anyone needed to get ahold of him.
There was unwinding and then there was being unavailable and unreliable.
Crawford glanced over. “Everything good?”
“Yeah,” Sebastian said. “I feel great. Thanks for inviting me over actually. This is exactly what I needed.”
“Sure.”
Sebastian looked back at the TV where they were interviewing the Team USA coach and a picture of Tanner Clayton appeared on the screen. “Hey. Do any of the guys on the team know?”
He thought Crawford had said they didn’t, but he wasn’t sure if he remembered right.
“What? That I hook up with men?”
“Yeah.”
“No.”
“Does anyone know?” Sebastian glanced over at Crawford, but he continued to look straight at the TV.
“You do. So do the guys I’ve hooked up with in the past …”
“I mean anyone in your family. Your friends?”
Crawford shook his head. “Nah. What I do is private. Same with women, for that matter.”
“Sure,” Sebastian said slowly. “But they all assume you’re straight, right? Because that’s society’s default.”
“And I’m supposed to fucking change all of society?” Crawford finally glanced over. “No fuckin’ thanks.”
“Huh. So you don’t think of yourself as bisexual? Or pan or whatever?”
Crawford sighed, stretching his legs, his massive quads flexing then relaxing as he settled again.
“I dunno. I guess I am, but I really don’t fuckin’ care what anyone calls me.
Look, I get that it’s a big deal for a lot of people.
Like, Connor and Graham had to figure their shit out and having all those words for it made it easier for them.
For me? I like what I like. I do what I wanna do and I try not to be a total dick about it. ”
Sebastian gave him a skeptical look.
Crawford shot him a surprisingly devastating crooked grin. “I said a total dick.”
“Yeah, fair,” Sebastian conceded.
“I’m not out there getting women pregnant and bailing. I wrap up my dick and get tested so I’m not passing along diseases. I make sure everyone I hook up with wants it and knows they can say no. Maybe I’m not all about the hearts and flowers and shit, but …”
“No, you’re right,” Sebastian admitted, a little surprised by the earnestness in his tone. “If everyone held themselves to that standard, the world would be better. You’re an asshole but I guess you’re an asshole with standards.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.” Crawford shot him a lazy smile. “I’m hooking up with you, aren’t I?”
“Fuck you,” Sebastian said with a laugh, leaning over and slugging him in the arm.
“Later maybe.” Crawford winked. “If you’re lucky.”